About Me

Welcome to Blog Bites! I love writing and reading romance of all genres which is why I've created "In the Author Spotlight". That way you and I can find out who's out there and what more they have for use to dig our claws into.
Are you an author interested in being in the "Author Spotlight"? Shoot me an email at AnnLory@gmail.com for a spot.
Currently, I'm published in contemporary and paranormal. If you'd like to read excerpts and find out what's out, or what's in store for you please visit my website at www.annlory.com.

Where to Find Me

If you want to sign up for my newsletter you can email me as well. The newsletter goes out bi-monthly and is filled with:

* free reads

* sneak peeks

* author interviews

* contests

* & more.

COMING in APRIL

Sparks fly with not only the wicked slash of flying stakes, but with the heated passion the two try to deny. It's only a matter of time before the walls tumble down and Alyssa faces the truth: not all vampires are evil. But can she put aside her hate and surrender to Damian, for all eternity?

COMING in MAY

Marrying the enemy can be the sweetest torture...

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

Jacques is determined to protect Kelly, but his new enemy—once a friend and a teacher—is older and stronger and Jacques will risk all to ensure Kelly remains forever his.

She is the light who will save his soul from darkness.

Marisa ran away from Brandon ten years ago, but now that she's back, he's determined she's going to see things his way...

BAIT and SWITCH

nominated for best contemporary romance 2009

A Las Vegas gigolo and an uptight lawyer from New York learn there's more to life than just business when they quite literally find love while "on the job"...

Jacob's wanted Sophie for several months now and with Christmas upon them, Jacob decides he's going to make his holiday wish come true.

CONTEST: There are actually two contests going on this week. First, Skylar will be choosing one commenter to receive a copy of Maison Domine at the end of this week. Second, the other Binding Ties Anthology authors and Skylar are running a contest that ends October 31st. The lucky winner will receive a beginner’s bondage kit. To join the contest, please sign up for our yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bindingties/

AL: Hi Skylar Thanks for being in the “Author Spotlight” this week.

Skylar: Thanks for having me, Ann!

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Skylar: I’m trying to get my Halloween costume finished! I’m going as a Freudian Slip. A little negligee, a little fabric transfer with Freud’s face, and voila! We’ll see how many friends at the Halloween party get the costume.

AL: What do you have for us on the shelves to read?

Skylar: My first novella, Maison Domine, just came out last month from Samhain Publishing. It’s an erotic BDSM story – my first, and hopefully not my last.

AL: When did you know you had to be a writer?

Skylar: Had I listened to the creative, less rational voices in my head, I would have known in elementary school. But I was so convinced a career and writing were mutually exclusive, so it took me far too long to realize I could both write and have a more conventional job.

AL: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Skylar: My god, there are too many to name. Some of my auto-buy authors are Lora Leigh, Christine Feehan, Jennifer Crusie, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. I also love everything by Carol Lynne and Lorelei James.

AL: What new works are you deep into?

Skylar: NaNoWriMo has me elbows deep in planning an erotic fantasy, which will be followed by the edits for my 2010 Parker Publishing novella that have been sitting on my desk for far too long.

Skylar: I’ve got the most unsophisticated taste in food, so macaroni and cheese, French fries, and chocolate cake doughnuts are my guilty pleasures.

Ann: Can you describe yourself in 3 sentences or less?

Skylar: I revel in pushing boundaries and breaking rules almost as much as I love playing the good girl when not in Skylar Kade mode. The written word is my passion and my life, the thing that enriches my days and spices up my nights. And without my family and my puppies, I would be completely adrift.

AL: When you have time just for you (if only) what do you do?

Skylar: I’m on sensory overload all day: reading, writing, listening to music, watching my favorite shows… some inside and some by the pool under the California sun. “Relaxation” has never really been in my vocabulary.

AL: With the holidays around the corner what's your favorite tradition?

Skylar: Hanging Christmas lights in my house while listening to Christmas music. Come November 26th, I’m in full-on holiday mode, and there’s something about twinkling lights that always feels festive.

Organic chemist Lara Brunner is at loose ends. Since childhood, her life has been focused on work and achieving success in her field. Only now, weeks away from her tenure review, she realizes she’s pushed herself too far. Casting about for a way to release her stress-crazed body from career tension, she visits a BDSM retreat, hoping a weekend of sexual submission will do the trick.

Inducting her into the lifestyle is her at-work nemesis—Jaxon Greene. But the sinful intent she encounters in Jaxon’s sexy eyes makes her heart race with desire…and fear. Gorgeous men like him don’t go for zaftig academics like her. Once the fantasy weekend is over and real life returns, he’ll forget all about her.

Jaxon is blindsided by his intense attraction to Lara. The more time he spends with her, the stronger their invisible bonds become. Bonds that are stronger and more permanent than any knot he can tie. He’s not normally into converting vanilla women to his lifestyle, but something makes him want to cast his inhibitions aside and claim her for his own.

First, though, he has to free her from preconceived notions of proper sex…and love.

Excerpt:

Jax was glad Maison Domine had an opening for the weekend. He desperately needed to get away from life for a bit. He loved teaching, seeing his students grow to love a work of literature, or a movie, or seeing the flash of insight cross their faces. But, at the same time, he was overwhelmed by his obligations. His agent was making noises about him writing another book or working on another script. Greedy bastard.

When Kat mentioned there was a shy new submissive coming this weekend, and asked if he would show her the ropes, pun intended, Jax jumped at the chance. He loved introducing newbies to the BDSM world. It suited his purposes, as he had no interest in a full-time submissive. He still got to play, but there were no messy emotional entanglements to deal with. After the Jenny fiasco, that was the last thing he wanted.

Evidently this new woman had been referred by one of the regulars, and from what the regular had told Kat, she was total submissive material, but had trouble giving up control. Jax had been so eager to meet this new sub, he had barely thrown his weekend bag into his room before coming down to the meet and greet.

He stepped into the cozy game room, eyes searching for Kat. Finding her in a stunning red dress, as usual, he took two steps towards her before being distracted by coughing. Whoever it was sounded like she was ill or choking. Jaxon spun to see who was making the racket, and his eyes settled upon a lush figure with her back to him. She wore a bright red top, but it was the creamy expanse of skin exposed between her short black skirt and knee-high boots that tempted him most. Hoping to dash to her rescue, Jax reached the woman right after Katrina. She had stopped coughing, and he could hear a melodic voice arguing with Kat.

“I think I should go to my room, Kat. I’m obviously too tired to chew, much less meet a room full of people.” Jax could tell the woman was embarrassed by the attention.

“No, no, don’t be silly. Inhaled a piece of flaky dough, did you? I do it all the time.” Katrina looked over the woman’s shoulder at him. “Jax, would you grab a glass of water from the end of the table? Bring it over for Lara, and let me properly introduce you two.”

Jax saw the woman, Lara, tense when Kat called out to him. He guessed she didn’t want another person witnessing her supposedly embarrassing moment.

“Excuse me,” he started. “Would you like a glass of…” He couldn’t remember how to finish the sentence.

The woman was Lara Brunner, the uptight chemist he had to share a classroom with. But she wasn’t in a stuffy suit, and her hair wasn’t scraped back from her face. Instead, it fell in soft waves around her face, and her clothes. Wow.

“Dr. Brunner. How nice to see you again.” Jax knew his tone was less than enthusiastic, but he couldn’t bear to reveal how torn he was upon seeing her here, not to mention how very surprised he was to find she was into the scene.

“Jaxon, I mean, Professor Greene. I didn’t expect to see you here. Not that it’s not pleasant to see you, but it is surprising. Shit. First I choke, and then I stick my foot in my mouth. I’ll shut up now.” She flushed again prettily. How he wanted to put color there, to make her breath catch like it had when she was stumbling out her greeting. Except he wanted to do it while making her submit to him, and only him. It was something Jaxon hadn’t felt in years.

“Oh, great, you two have already met! Jax, this is our new submissive, the one I was hoping you could work with this weekend.” Kat grinned, obviously pleased with herself. Jaxon groaned silently. He had planned to say a brief hello and make small talk before hiding in his room for the weekend to avoid the torture of this temptingly unbound version of Lara Brunner.

Lara shook her head. “Kat, I’m sure Prof…I mean, Jaxon…has better things to do than baby-sit me this weekend. I’ll just sit back quietly. You know, watch and learn. No tutor, or trainer, required. Or maybe I’ll relax in my room and read one of the novels I brought. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”

Jaxon snorted. “Watching won’t give you a near-enough idea of what it is to submit, to completely give over control to someone you trust. It’s a high, as much of one as it is for a Dominant to be trusted to that extent. Besides, most of the scenes at Maison Domine are private. And it won’t be an inconvenience.” He’d be damned if anyone else would introduce her to this world. Although sex was not a mandatory part of any scene, play was always an incredibly intimate thing. The idea of another man touching her, playing with her, clawed at his insides.

He took a step towards her, the rest of the room fading into the background. Like a dance, she followed, moving backwards a pace. Step, step, shuffle, and he had her against the wall. Jax wanted to give her a quick demonstration of watching versus doing.

“What…what are you doing?” Lara’s tongue flicked out to moisten her bottom lip. Her lips had never looked more kissable. Not to mention, her fiery personality turned him on. She certainly wasn’t a weak-willed yes woman like other submissives he’d trained. All of his good intentions fled and he gave up on the teachable moment.

He pressed her up against the wall, and tilted her face to meet his gaze head on. “This is how it starts. I can see the signs…the flutter of your pulse right here.” His finger trailed from her chin down to her neck, and Lara released a barely suppressed shiver. “Your eyes dilating in anticipation, excitement, and a slight hint of fear. You are, after all, putting your body and mind completely in my hands. Giving up your tightly-held control.” He wrapped his hand ever so gently around her neck, putting enough pressure for her to walk the edge between certain safety and the gray space of what if most submissives thrived on.

"Who…do you think…you are?” she managed to whisper in between shorts gasps for breath. Jax knew she would be beautifully submissive. She walked the edge of pain, of fear, of arousal perfectly. A flash of panic from the loss of control made her blue eyes light up until they almost glowed with intensity.

“I’m your new Trainer. And you, Lara, are mine…for the weekend.”

REMEMBER: There are actually two contests going on this week. First, Skylar will be choosing one commenter to receive a copy of Maison Domine at the end of this week. Second, the other Binding Ties Anthology authors and Skylar are running a contest that ends October 31st. The lucky winner will receive a beginner’s bondage kit. To join the contest, please sign up for our yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bindingties/

CONTEST: Crystal will be giving away a digital copy of Guardian’s Realm: The Collision, winner drawn randomly from all comments,and she will send a giveaway pen to anyone who emails me a mailing address. It’s a super cool, purple pen! Make sure to leave your email address on the comments for a chance to win.

AL: Hi Crystal Thanks for being in the “Author Spotlight” this week.

Crystal: Hi! Thanks so much for having me.

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Crystal: I’m attaching a picture I just took of my cat, Sherkahn. She’s fifteen years old and generally healthy, except for the fact she’s nearly blind. We think it’s because her pupils don’t react to light like they should anymore. She looks like this in all her photos. It’s so sad watching her walk around bumping into things. At least once a week she’ll have a big lump on her nose, or a fat lip. Have you ever seen a cat with a fat lip? We do our best to keep things out of her way, but still every step is carefully placed like she’s stepping over something. Still as much as I love her and try to take special care of her, I do let myself laugh at her pictures. Those eyes reflect flash bulbs like a demon cat.

AL: What sexy plots are you weaving?

Crystal: I’m putting the finishing touches on a historical novella about a forbidden love between an abused viscountess, and the stable master hired by her grandfather to “stud” her after she’s caught in a compromising situation with another woman. One of my favorite kinds of love stories is the unlikely romance between polar opposites, whether they’re different because of wealth, standing, or personality.

I’ve just started another vampire book now that isn’t related to my Guardian series. It’s about a modern day vampire prince (a handsome, very wealthy, almost-celebrity) who meets a plain Jane poor girl at an exclusive “blood party.” She wants nothing to do with him. But to him, she’s beautiful, with a rare blood type that makes her very sought after. This leads to plenty of danger for them both.

AL: When you write do you do a detailed outline before you get started or do you have the idea then just 'fly by the seat of your pants'? :-)

Crystal: Definitely a pantster. It comes back to haunt me sometimes, but most important is finding out first if I have passion for the story. I work out a storyboard as I’m writing, but I don’t think I’ll ever be the type of writer who starts with it. Beginning with page 1, the process of developing my characters is as much a journey of discovery as the story itself. It has to be fresh and new and exciting to me when I start.

AL: When did the vampire bug bite you?

Crystal: Vampires were tough for me. I was brought up on Bella Lugosi movies, so in my world vamps were creepy, dangerous, and evil. But when I wrote my first book in the Guardian Series, The Combat, there was something nagging at me. The character Fitch wouldn’t sit quietly in the background and accept that role. He wanted me to know he was a badass, but he had some heroic qualities as well. And when you really need him, he won’t let you down.

AL: What do you like best about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

Crystal: The whole process of discovery. I love learning about my characters and watching their world unfold. Of course, now that I’m published, the process of getting my books into the store is a lot of fun, too. Signing the contract, seeing the cover, talking with my editor; these are incredible experiences. I’d have to say edits are my least favorite part, but a necessary evil. : )

AL: All right Crystal, let’s get personal. What’s the best movie you've seen recently?

Crystal: the movie I most enjoyed recently was Blood and Chocolate, an independent film based on the YA novel by Annette Curtis. I loved the heroine’s character. It’s so rare the female protagonist is the werewolf, or “creature” in stories anymore, I thought it was a refreshing change. And I love a heroine who stands by her true love, even if he’s so, so wrong for her. There was a lot standing between these two, and it made the romance that much more powerful. Of course that’s not a new movie, but new movies have left me disappointed lately.

Right now I’m really into series; especially HBO series. I LOVE True Blood. Anna Paquin is my favorite cutie-pie no-bullshit serving waitress. I adore her! I wish I was her. : ) No, that’s not entirely true, because I have a real life hero for a husband and I wouldn’t trade him in for anything. We watch an episode of whatever current series we’re into every night at dinner. That may sound cold, but the truth is we talk more during the program... “oh my god, did you see that? What was he thinking? No way! I don’t believe it,” than we would if we didn’t have the tv on. It’s gotten so that I can’t eat in a silent dining room. “How was your day?” “Fine. How was yours?” Bleh.

I record Fringe, Flash Forward, Dollhouse and Lie to Me (and Venture Brothers) on my DVR. Right now we’re watching Dexter. Is there anything more deliciously twisted than this show? I love the way they bring me to the edge of my seat with worry that he’s going to get caught! And I absolutely love his potty-mouthed, ass-kicking sister. Deb Morgan rocks.

Ann: You have to ask a fictional character out on a date—who would you ask and what would you do together?

Crystal: it would definitely be Fitch, my bad-boy with a good-heart vampire in The Collision. First, he’d pick me up. And by that I mean, he’d bring out his wings and we’d fly into the night sky. There would be scrumptious gourmet food and delicious wine in his private penthouse (because my vampires eat food), and most importantly, rowdy sex all night.

AL: If your muse were to talk behind your back, what secrets would he/she tell?

Crystal: I can be a very, very naughty girl, and I have a vocabulary of four letter-and-mores that could make a sailor blush. Maybe that’s why I love Deb Morgan so much.

AL: Fall is here, what is your favorite part of the season? Fall leaves? Sweater weather? Football?

Crystal: I have to admit I hate fall and winter. Good thing I live in California, where they’re short and mild. If there’s anything to like about it, I’d have to say the crisp, clean air after a rain shower, and the vibrant sunrises and sunsets against turbulent clouds. Although I do love the sound of howling wind and driving rain (outside) when I’m snuggly warm (inside) in my comfy sweats and fuzzy slippers.

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Crystal: “Never give up, never surrender.” Galaxy Quest. Corny, but it’s the best advice you can ever give or receive.

Accidentally cast through a magical portal to an enchanted prison with slave girl and a vampire fugitive, a Guardian warrior must come to terms with their situation, and the irrefutable past he shares with his vampire enemy.

Excerpt:

Fitch felt a moment's confusion as he flew into bright light, only because his thoughts were aimed at the scorching pain in his ankle as Boragnis's claw swiped him bone deep.

Then, almost calmly, he understood what had happened. Magic.

As quickly as it started, it was over.

They crashed down on a cold stone floor. The Guardian landed in a heap, and the girl tumbled away.

Fitch hit his shoulder hard and heard a crunch, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his ankle. He struggled into a sitting position and gripped his calf, afraid to look at the damage.

“Son of a bitch!”

He drew his pant leg up. The half-severed limb knit slowly before his eyes. His stomach rolled. Despite his healing abilities, it still hurt like hell.

He gritted his teeth as the pain faded in waves. Finally, the red curtain of agony faded from his vision. He glanced around, looking for new dangers. They appeared to have transported to a dark castle somewhere.

“No fucking way.”

Compared to the chaos in the Palace, the silence here echoed startlingly. Frigid cold bit at his hands and face.

This was a dead place.

He glanced at the blond Guardian sprawled a few feet away, then to the slave girl. Wriggling the sweetest ass he'd ever seen, she pushed to her hands and knees and looked around, apparently as confused as he was.

One of them was an ancient fae.

Holy shit. He'd thought they had all died out.

Fitch glanced between them. The girl? She was a golden nymph with impossible beauty, and she wasn't crying or screaming like most humans would be after being transported by magic.

Then again, she'd been a slave girl to an illegal vampire Palace. She'd seen and heard things that would even make him cringe. Experienced things that would make him cringe.

But why would an ancient fae be a vampire plaything? Unless she was some sort of bizarre sexual deviant, she would possess the power to escape the vampires.

No, it had to be the man. He also possessed an unusual, ethereal beauty. And more than likely, a fae would serve the Guardians.

Like most Guardian warriors, he wore protective leather pants. Très tacky. A clingy black T-shirt showed every ridge and hollow in his muscled chest beneath a tight-fitting jacket Fitch knew had specially tailored slits to allow his wings to expand.

“Where are we?” the girl asked.

Fitch caught his breath. Her voice was like silver bells, and the innocence in her gaze made him ripple with chills.

Daylight, Fitch thought. She reminds me of daylight, with that golden hair as brilliant as a ray of sunshine and eyes the color of the sky on a summer's day.

“I don't know.” He pulled his pant leg back over his boot as the pain faded to a dull throb. “You'll have to ask him. He brought us here.”

She glanced at the man on the floor. A silken fall of hair tumbled over her shoulder. She crawled to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“He's hurt.”

Fitch took a punch to the gut. Her tenderness was a foreign thing, so strange that he almost couldn't fathom it, and the wave of jealousy he felt watching her bestow it on the other was bewildering.

For eight hundred years, he'd been alone, daring to risk love only once, to disastrous results. Even simple friendships were too much anymore. Mortals died so quickly.

Fitch pushed to his feet, gritting his teeth against a shock of pain. It flared and drifted away. He tested weight on the ankle, then limped to a blackened hearth.

He summoned a burst of energy and threw a ball of fire into the decaying logs. The fire roared to life. Still the act felt embarrassingly weak compared to the power the fae Guardian had used to bring them here.

He glanced back at the girl. She wore nothing but a draping, diaphanous cloth designed to look like a Roman toga. As she bent over the unconscious man, her delectable little ass pointed at him. Fitch saw the dark golden hair between her legs and a tantalizing glimpse of pink nether flesh. The gown teased the eye, more sensual than if she were naked—which she practically was against cold like this.

Even her feet were bare. She must be freezing.

“Come to the fire. You'll catch your death.”

“What about him?” she asked without turning around.

“He'll be fine.”

“Boragnis hit him hard.”

He hit me hard too, but you don't see me whining about it, Fitch wanted to say. Instead, he grumbled under his breath and crossed the stone floor to the Guardian.

He knelt beside them. Had he not been crouched, the look she gave him with those watery blue eyes would have brought him to his knees. She possessed rare beauty he'd not seen matched in over eight hundred years.

Fitch took her gently by the jaw. She blinked but didn't resist. Wasn't it said the fae were a special breed who rejoiced in their sexuality and gave everything to their lovers?

No, she's 100 percent human, he realized by sensing her. Simply trained to be compliant by her vampire captors.

But a special human. It almost seemed electrical current ran into his fingers where he touched her.

He pulled his hand away. He didn't have time to be distracted by a beautiful human nymph. He'd been within reaching distance of the vampire demon he'd hunted through centuries, only to lose him in a blink of magic.

He slapped the Guardian. “Hey. Wake up.”

The girl clutched his wrist, igniting those strange quivery sensations all over again. “Gentle,” she scolded, but she smiled, and her eyes absolutely twinkled. “I could have done that.”

The Guardian's brow wrinkled, and he turned his head. A low moan rumbled deep in his chest. The sound rolled over Fitch, making him prickle from the top of his scalp to the soles of his feet with a strange tightening of his balls in between.

He sat back on his heels. Just what I need. Cast into obscurity with a blond Adonis and a golden slave girl.

The Guardian's eyes snapped open and blinked several times. They were as green as emeralds, which confirmed any doubts Fitch still had.

The man was an ancient fae.

They locked gazes, and Fitch would swear there was an audible click.

REMEMBER: Crystal will be giving away a digital copy of Guardian’s Realm: The Collision, winner drawn randomly from all comments, and she will send a giveaway pen to anyone who emails me a mailing address. It’s a super cool, purple pen! Make sure to leave your email address on the comments for a chance to win.

So...September proved to be the worst month this year. I worked an event this week for work and am now taking the day to relax. I watched a movie this morning. Did some light cleaning. Have to do that. I watched The Proposal this afternoon. Baked brownies. Choc chip cookies and choc chip cookies with walnuts. I am picking the kids up and will return home to watch another movie, cook up some chili and watch another movie this evening after tucking the kids in bed. Does this sound incedibly boring since hubby has lodge tonight, or am I doing awesome for one day?

CONTEST: To those who leave a post and their email address, I’ll draw one winner for a copy of my book The Challenge.

AL: Hi Serena Thanks for being in the “Author Spotlight” this week.

Serena: Hi Ann, I so excited to be here. I always enjoy reading your author interviews and I’m honored to be included in such a great group of writers!

AL: So, tell us what’s happening with you.

Serena: Well, I just got off the road from my summer long quest to be an Aerosmith groupie, (and yes, I saw you there Ann!) I’m starting training for the Iditarod where I’m going to mush my two little Dachshunds and I’m trying to figure out how to make a Hermione Halloween costume for my Darling Diva. LOL, yes only one of those is true but I’ll let you figure out which it is…

All in all, I’m pretty boring. I’m a stay-at-home mom, thrilled to have school back in session so I again have some quiet time in my day. A wife to a wonderful guy who likes to keep busy with projects, keeping me free to write and mommy to two furry babies who look at me strangely when I shout “Gee,Gee” at them. ;)

AL: Your first book is out. Tell us what it’s like on cloud 9. Even better…tell us about your début novel.

Serena: Cloud 9 is wickedly awesome! I brought my muse along with me and all the other revelers want to look at his sculpted abs and big, wide shoulders as he rubs my feet and tells me how proud he is that I finished and sold THE CHALLENGE!

THE CHALLENGE is the story of a half jaguar shifter/half human woman, Marina, who finds herself intimately connected to a full blooded jaguar shifter and all around alpha male after a night of unbelievable passion. What she is unaware of is that rather than the one-night stand she hoped for, she has all but mated the pride leader of a group of shifters who are not human friendly.

There are some unexpected sexual problems caused by Marina’s connection to the pride leader, Bastian. In order to resolve them, Marina and Bastian must find a way to get past an antagonist who I promise you are going to love to hate and Marina will ultimately have to gain respect from the pride. It’s kind of a tall order.

AL: What are you working on now?

Serena: I’m working on a holiday story for April Fool’s Day involving a heroine who doesn’t know she both a witch and also young, an April Fool’s Day joke gone bad and a sexy demon fighting hero.

AL: Why shifter romance?

Serena: You know, I would love to have some really good answer for this question, but the reality is…because that’s what the characters told me they were when they stepped into the spotlight in my brain. ;) It’s kind of funny, but my stories all start as a bit of a support group. Hi, my name is Bastian, I’m a jaguar shape shifter and I’m going to tell you a story now. Please pick up your pen and take notes. Thank you! LOL

AL: Who inspired you to follow your dream of writing?

Serena: My husband. For years, I would jot down note after note of plots and characters, and scenes. I’d look up towns and music - All things paranormal and really just gather tons of information. Only I would do nothing with it but store it away in my one day I will get to do this file. I was working full-time at a job I’d lost the love for; I was a full-time mom & wife and we were at the tail end of a traumatic event within our close family. I was beyond burnt out. When he took me aside and told me that it was time to stop waiting for someday and to start writing like I should be, I was floor and flabbergasted and awed. He knew what I needed, before I’d even wrapped myself totally around it. I took his advice and haven’t stopped since.

AL: All right Serena, kick off your dominatrix boots and get comfy… Who is a great example to you and how you live your life?

Serena: But Ann, in order for the boots to come off, I need my buffly built butler in here to reach under my skirt and loosen the clasps at the back of my thighs!! If that happens, I may never finish this interview. Hehehehe

Serena: Um, I haven’t picked my team yet on the Amazing Race, and yes that is the closest I thing I have to a favorite team event, at least until the Olympics come on…love those!

AL: If your muse were to talk behind your back, what secrets would he/she tell?

Serena: Oh man, he’d probably tell you about my new addiction to Farmville on Facebook. I can hear it now, “yee gads, her with the plowing, and harvesting and planting. The trees, the animals, and the nonstop rearranging – It’s not like we don’t have books to write!”

AL: You have to ask a fictional character out on a date—who would you ask and what would you do together?

Serena: Oh my gosh, that’s a tough one! Let’s see, Dirk Pitt, and I’d make him take me on one of his awesome history changing excursions with NUMA! Of course, there is also this sweet and sexy vamp, named Christian, who if memory serves can move through time. Ummmm, there are many things in the past I would love to be witness too!

AL: Please share a favorite quote(s) with us.

Serena: I love so many quotes, but here are two of my favorites –

"Life's a journey, not a destination." ~Steven Tyler

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

AL: Thanks so much for sharing with joining us this week, Serena.

Serena: Thanks for having me, Ann! You ask some tough, but awesome questions.

Marina Jamison is a mystery. As a half-breed shapeshifter, she lives on the fringe of were-jaguar society. Though her love for pride leader Bastian LaRue is forbidden, she finds herself tied to him by a bond stronger than their individual wills, a psychic link born from their one-night stand. When her secret is revealed, she is scorned and excluded. Neither Bastian nor the pride can accept a half-breed queen.

Excerpt:

Marina shook, but not from the motorcycle rumbling between her legs. Her concentration fled the moment Hoss locked her into the leather cuffs. The vile male who’d touched her only minutes before made her skin crawl. Fear from the narrow escape still choked her with its intensity. She’d never placed herself in such a precarious position before.

Given her no-holds-barred approach to life, she should be ecstatic. Curled against her rescuer’s back, flying down the road on his Harley, should have soothed her, relaxed her, yet it didn’t. The feel of his body mixed with the knowledge of the confrontation to come left her nervous, jittery...stimulated.

The dips and grooves of perfectly sculpted muscles rippled beneath her flattened palm. An incredible pair of pecs, rock solid and smooth, led to mile-wide shoulders. They were broad enough to provide shelter while strong enough to let her know he was in charge.

If she had the nerve to move her other hand lower she’d be re-introduced to a cock as thick as her wrist and long enough to satisfy her many times over. Sweat, having nothing to do with the outside temperature, slid between her breasts. Her nipples stood at attention.

She was in trouble.

Something changed her two years ago. Their first night together had been out of control. He’d dominated her, spanked her, and brought her release after erotic release. Somewhere amidst the orgasms, she’d formed a connection. She could sense his emotions. Her body tingled with sensations that were not her own, but his. Impressions of ownership flowed into her, marking her as his, and in the end what had she done? Rather than running, as any sane woman over her head would, she’d reveled in the attention and begged for more.

Only when he’d fallen into a much-needed sleep had she hobbled away, sick with the knowledge that her one-night stand had gone drastically wrong. Two things became clear as she’d left the warmth and safety of his arms: one, a single night of sex with Bastian ruined her for any other man, human or shifter, and two, she’d become strangely attached to him.

Thankfully, the bike’s rumbling pipes covered the sob slipping past the barrier of her lips. No doubt about it, she was in trouble.

Marina tightened her hold as the bike shot onto a familiar dirt drive leading to his cabin. Thighs wide, her bare flesh nestled the top of his ass and the vibration of the bike drove her arousal higher. How typical of her to be both afraid and aroused at the same time. Bastian pulled into the garage and killed the motorcycle’s engine. He climbed from the bike and turned; with a quick flick of his wrist, he released the snap before pulling the helmet from her head.

Her heart stopped as she got a clear view of the incredible man in front of her. Two years hadn’t changed him significantly, a bit older, more seasoned; still sexy as hell. He now wore black hair in a military buzz cut yet defied convention by growing it longer on top. His face formed an angular shape with lips full and kissable. As perfect as the parts of him happened to be, his eyes held her. Still a startling green, so green they glowed. She’d always found it difficult to look away from him. How did he get away with such a difference while among humans?

He moved close as Marina slid back on the bike’s seat, bracing her body against the sissy bar. She tired quickly from using every ounce of ability to cover her human scent. When he leaned into her neck she stiffened; his nostrils flared as he took her scent into his lungs. Sharp teeth snapped inside her head. A jaguar, with familiar green eyes, paced and growled with a ferocity that intrigued. What could he smell?

“What’s his name, Mari?”

Marina sucked in her breath, “What are you talking about, Bastian?”

Pulling back, Bastian looked into her eyes before quietly repeating his question, “What’s his name?” he said with a firmer voice. “What is the name of the fucking human I’m going to kill for marking you, Mari?”

“K-kill?” She said looking into his glowing green eyes. “Bastian, no one has marked me.”

Disbelief from the man facing her hammered across the connection.

“Only because you snuck out on me, Mari. You left before taking my mark.” His voice lowered. “Not to worry, though. I am going to correct my error as soon as the human has been found and you have been suitably punished for leaving me the way you did.”

The purr in his voice shook her. Arousal poured over her through their bond. Thighs, damp with excitement clenched at his threats. She’d readily take whatever punishment he could dish out.

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